CURRICULUM DEPARTMENT
EDUCATION DIVISION
JUNIOR LYCEUMS
AND
AREA SECONDARY SCHOOLS
ENGLISH LITERATURE SYLLABUS
1998
(Updated in 2007 to include changes announced
in official circulars since 1998)
Please note that
the Syllabi for Form 1 and Form 2
as shown below
have been replaced by a new curriculum
which can be accessed through the
Form 1 and Form 2 Curriculum pages.
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
1
CONTENTS
PAGE
GENERAL AIMS
2
AREA SECONDARY
FORM ONE ATTAINMENT TARGETS
4
FORM ONE RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND GUIDELINES
5
FORM TWO ATTAINMENT TARGETS
7
FORM TWO RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND GUIDELINES
8
FORM THREE ATTAINMENT TARGETS
10
FORM THREE RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND GUIDELINES
11
JUNIOR LYCEUM
FORM ONE ATTAINMENT TARGETS
14
FORM ONE RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND GUIDELINES
15
FORM TWO ATTAINMENT TARGETS
17
FORM TWO RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND GUIDELINES
18
FORM THREE ATTAINMENT TARGETS
20
FORM THREE RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND GUIDELINES
21
RECOMMENDED CRITERIA
22
____________________________
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
2
GENERAL AIMS
The aim of this syllabus is to present English Literature as:
• a source of enjoyment
• a source leading to knowledge of the world
• an art form
• A source of enjoyment
Literary texts, chosen wisely so as to fit in with the intellectual and
interpersonal development of the student, should give the reader pleasure. This
view of literature, once inculcated, may encourage the student to pursue
reading beyond school-life.
• A source leading to knowledge of the world
Reading appropriate literature texts may enable the student to learn about the
‘world’ in the widest sense of the term; that is, in terms of people, places,
culture and values.
• An art form
The writer is also an artist who makes use of language to create a work of art.
Literary works, in their form and content, often exhibit artistic qualities which
in themselves may provide material for the development of an aesthetic
sensibility in the student.
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
AREA
SECONDARY
3
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
4
ATTAINMENT TARGETS
FORM ONE AREA SECONDARY
By the end of Form One students should
POETRY
1. be able to understand and express in writing the subject of the text
2. be able to recognise verse
3. be able to recognise stanza, rhyme, personification and simile
4. be able to respond personally to the text
5. be able to express reasons for liking or disliking particular texts
PROSE
1. be able to understand and express in writing the plot of the text
2. be able to distinguish between the main and minor incidents of the text
3. be able to distinguish between the main and minor characters of the text
4. be aware of the division of a narrative into chapters or sections
DRAMA
1. as in “Prose” above, excluding 4, and in addition
2. be able to recognise a drama script
3. be aware of the division of a play into acts and scenes, as they occur
___________________
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
5
RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND GUIDELINES
FORM ONE AREA SECONDARY
POETRY
Text:
Poetry Street 1
D. Orme & J.Sale
Longman
Poems:
Conversation with an Angel
Barford Wanda
The Bed
Bowden Adrian
Missing Person
Andrew Moira
First Day at School
McGough Roger
My Parents Kept Me
Spender Stephen
The Wind was on the Withered Heath
Tolkien J.R.R.
A minimum of eight poems are to be covered. These poems may not
necessarily be chosen from the recommended text. The choice of these
poems should be made in consultation with other teachers of English in
the same school to ensure that texts chosen for a particular Form are
not chosen again for another Form.
________________
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
6
PROSE READERS
Any five readers from the following:
A Town like Alice
Neville Shute
Heinemann
Choky
John Wyndham
Penguin
Detective Work
John Escott
Penguin
Ghost Stories
Rudyard Kipling Penguin
et al.
Money for a Motorbike
John Milne
Heinemann
The Case of the Dancing
Allen Sharp
Cambridge
The Star Zoo
Harry Gilbert
OUP
Time Bird
John Escott
Penguin
White Fang
Jack London
Penguin
Black Beauty
Anna Sewell
Longman
Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens
Nelson
Bees
DRAMA
Teachers should cover one or more drama texts. Optional questions on
drama are set in the annual examination.
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
7
ATTAINMENT TARGETS
FORM TWO AREA SECONDARY
By the end of Form Two students should be able to
POETRY
1. recognise metaphor, alliteration, assonance and onomatopoeia, as they occur
2. recognise contrast on the level of words and ideas
PROSE
1. identify significant qualities in the main characters of the text
2. identify different styles of speech as they occur
3. be able to distinguish between the 1st and 3rd person narrative, as they occur
DRAMA
1. identify asides, monologues and stage directions as they occur
2. understand and express the plot and sub-plot as they occur
3. read in an appropriate way part of the script
_____________
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
8
RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND GUIDELINES
FORM TWO AREA SECONDARY
POETRY
Poetry Street 2
D.Orme & J.Sale
Longman
Poems:
Parrot
Smith Stevie
Black March
Smith Stevie
Sally
Hesketh Phoebe
Death of a Snowman
Scannell Vernon
The Apple’s Song
Morgan Edwin
Tree
Smith-Brown Colleen
A minimum of eight poems are to be covered. These poems may not
necessarily be chosen from the recommended text. The choice of these
poems should be made in consultation with other teachers of English in
the same school to ensure that texts chosen for a particular Form are
not chosen again for another Form.
____________
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
9
PROSE READERS
All five readers
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte
Nelson
Geordie
David Walker
Nelson
Gwennie
Frances Usher
Ginn
The Titanic is Sinking
K.R. Cripwell
Nelson
The Pit
Linda Hoy
Ginn
DRAMA
Teachers should cover one or more drama texts. Optional questions on
drama are set in the annual examination.
_________________
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
10
ATTAINMENT TARGETS
FORM THREE AREA SECONDARY
By the end of Form Three students should be able to
POETRY
1. understand and express the theme of the texts orally and in writing
2. identify poetic genres [eg. sonnet, elegy] as they occur
PROSE
1. understand and express the theme of the texts orally and in writing
2. compare and contrast important characters and events
DRAMA
1. as for ‘Prose’ above, and
2. identify the setting of time and place of the play
3. distinguish between verse and prose in the script, as they occur
_____________
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
11
RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND GUIDELINES
FORM THREE AREA SECONDARY
POETRY
POETRY STREET 2
D.ORME & J.SALE
LONGMAN
POEMS
V is for Victory, as you can plainly see
Marsden Hartley
Kob Antelope
Anon.
The Plaint of the Camel
Charles Edward Carryl
City Nomad
James Berry
Frying Tonight
Julie O’Callaghan
A minimum of eight poems are to be covered. These poems may not
necessarily be chosen from the recommended text. The choice of these
poems should be made in consultation with other teachers of English in
the same school to ensure that texts chosen for a particular Form are
not chosen again for another Form.
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
12
PROSE READERS
All four Readers are to be covered.
KING SOLOMON’S
RIDER HAGGARD
LONGMAN CLASSICS
THE CALL OF THE WILD
JACK LONDON
LONGMAN CLASSICS
LORNA DOONE
RD. BLACKMORE
LONGMAN CLASSICS
WUTHERING HEIGHTS
EMILY BRONTE
LONGMAN CLASSICS
MINES
DRAMA
Teachers should cover one or more drama texts. Optional questions on
drama are set in the annual examination.
____________________
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
JUNIOR LYCEUM
13
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
14
ATTAINMENT TARGETS
FORM ONE JUNIOR LYCEUM
By the end of Form One students should
POETRY
1. be able to understand and express in writing the subject of the text
2. be able to recognise verse
3. be able to recognise stanza, rhyme, personification and simile
4. be able to respond personally to the text
5. be able to express reasons for liking or disliking particular texts
PROSE
1. be able to understand and express in writing the plot of the text
2. be able to distinguish between the main and minor incidents
3. be able to distinguish between the main and minor characters
4. be aware of the division of a narrative into chapters or sections
DRAMA
1. as in “Prose” above, excluding 4, and in addition
2. be able to recognise a drama script
3. be aware of the division of a play into acts and scenes
___________________________
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
15
RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND GUIDELINES
FORM ONE JUNIOR LYCEUM
POETRY
Text:
Poetry Street 1
D. Orme & J.Sale
Longman
Poems:
Conversation with an Angel
Barford Wanda
The Bed
Bowden Adrian
Missing Person
Andrew Moira
First Day at School
McGough Roger
My Parents Kept Me
Spender Stephen
The Wind was on the Withered Heath
Tolkien J.R.R.
A minimum of eight poems are to be covered. These poems may not
necessarily be chosen from the recommended text. The choice of these
poems should be made in consultation with other teachers of English in
the same school to ensure that texts chosen for a particular Form are
not chosen again for another Form.
__________________
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
16
PROSE READERS
Any four readers from the following:
The Clashing Rocks
Ian Serraillier
Heinemann
The Silver Sword
Ian Serraillier
Windmill
The Railway Children
E.Nesbit
Windmill
Black Beauty
Anna Sewell
Penguin
Time Bird
John Escott
Penguin
White Fang
Jack London
Penguin
The Case of the Dancing Bees
Allen Sharp
CUP
Detective Work
John Escott
Penguin
DRAMA
Teachers should cover one or more drama texts. Optional questions on
drama are set in the annual examination.
__________________
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
17
ATTAINMENT TARGETS
FORM TWO JUNIOR LYCEUM
By the end of Form Two students should
POETRY
1. recognise metaphor, alliteration, assonance and onomatopoeia
2. recognise contrast at the level of words and ideas
PROSE
1. identify significant qualities in the main characters of the text
2. identify different styles of speech, as they occur
3. distinguish between 1st and 3rd person narratives, as they occur
DRAMA
1. identify asides, monologues and stage directions, as they occur
2. understand and express the plot and sub-plot, as they occur
3. read in an appropriate way part of the script
_____________
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
18
RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND GUIDELINES
FORM TWO JUNIOR LYCEUM
POETRY
Text:
Poetry Street 2
D. Orme and J. Sale
OUP
Poems:
Parrot
Smith Stevie
Black March
Smith Stevie
Sally
Hesketh Phoebe
Death of a Snowman
Scannell Vernon
The Apple’s Song
Morgan Edwin
Tree
Smith-Brown Colleen
Eight poems are to be covered. These poems may not necessarily be
chosen from the recommended text. The choice of these poems should be
made in consultation with other teachers of English in the same school to
ensure that texts chosen for a particular Form are not chosen again
for another Form.
__________________
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
19
PROSE READERS
Any five of the following texts:
The Otterbury Incident
C. Day Lewis
Windmill
Tom’s Midnight Garden
Philippa Pearce
Windmill
The Little Fishes
Eric Haugaard
Windmill
The Thirty Nine Steps*
John Buchan
Penguin
A Town like Alice*
Neville Shute
Heinemann
Jane Eyre*
Charlotte Bronte
Nelson
The Titanic is Sinking*
K R Cripwell
Nelson.
Sherlock Holmes and the
Arthur Conan Doyle
Penguin
Mystery of Boscombe Pool*
*These texts are shorter than the first three and contain support material. In
choosing the texts, teachers are advised to consider the ability of the target
students. Co-ordination with other Form Two teachers is also recommended.
DRAMA
Teachers should cover one or more drama texts. Optional questions on
drama are set in the annual examination.
__________________
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
20
ATTAINMENT TARGETS
FORM THREE JUNIOR LYCEUM
by the end of Form Three, students should be able to
POETRY
1. understand and express the theme of the texts orally and in writing
2. recognize poetic genres as they occur [eg sonnet]
PROSE
1. understand and express the theme of the texts orally and in writing
2. compare and contrast important characters and events
DRAMA
1. as for “Prose” above, and in addition
2. describe the setting of time and place in the play
3. describe the relationships among the main characters of the play
____________________
cont. on next page/-
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
21
RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND GUIDELINES
FORM THREE JUNIOR LYCEUM
POETRY
Text:
Poems 2
M.Harrison & C.Stuart-Clark
OUP
Poems
Advice to a Knight
Prelude [excerpt]
Abbey Tomb
Icarus Allsorts
The Astigmatic
T.H.Jones
William Wordsworth
Patricia Beer
Roger McGough
Philip Hobsbaum
Eight poems are to be covered. These poems may not necessarily be chosen from the
recommended text. The choice of these poems should be made in consultation with
other teachers of English in the same school to ensure that texts chosen for a
particular Form are not chosen again for another Form.
PROSE READERS
Any two texts from the following:
Rebecca
The Invisible Man
The Old Man and the Sea
The Pearl
The Endless Steppe
The Enchanted Island
Walkabout
Daphne du Maurier
H.G. Wells
Ernest Hemingway
John Steinback
Esther Hautzig
Ian Serraillier
James Vance Marshall
Longman Fiction
Longman Fiction
New Windmill
New Windmill
New Windmill
New Windmill
New Windmill
DRAMA
The Three Caskets from The Drama Highway [Book 6]
__________________
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
22
RECOMMENDED CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING POETRY TEXTS
The following specifications are provided as guidelines and are therefore not
prescriptive.
Presentation
Texts which are
not longer than one page of normal print
illustrated
Content
Texts about
the landscape and seascape
animals and other aspects of nature
children and family life
childhood and school-life
occupations
friendship
dramatic episodes
heroism
the harm caused by war and other forms of violence
Style
Texts which
are descriptive in approach
are of an appropriate language level
are about concrete subjects
appeal to the imagination
END OF SYLLABUS
1998 English Literature Syllabus (Updated 2007)
This document was written by
GEORGE CAMILLERI E.O.
RAYMOND J. CAMILLERI E.O.
ALFRED R. CACHIA E.O.
(1998)
Updated by
GEORGE CAMILLERI E.O.
FRANK MUSCAT E.O.
MARY ANNE CAMILLERI E.O.
(2007)
Assisted by the English Subject Co-ordinators
ENGLISH SECTION
CURRICULUM DEPARTMENT
EDUCATION DIVISION
FLORIANA
_______________
23